In fiber optic communications networks, optical fibers are used to transmit signals throughout the network. Because optical fibers are thin, multiple optical fibers are often routed together in groups of fibers that are connected or bundled together. One arrangement of multiple optical fibers is a ribbon fiber, which is a group of optical fibers aligned in a single plane and held together by a film.
As is known, at a certain point along the ribbon cable, access to individual fibers is required for connectorization, splicing or divergent routing of the discrete fibers. Access to individual fibers requires separating them from the ribbon cable at a point referred to as the “break-out point.” Although the discrete fibers are typically enclosed in a buffer tube to protect them and minimize their bending, at the break-out point, the individual fibers are neither contained in their buffer tube, nor secured in the ribbon cable. Consequently, the fibers tend to be particularly fragile at this point, and thus must be protected by holding them in a certain position relative to the ribbon cable to avoid excessive bending. To this end, “breakout” or “fanout” devices have been developed.
Conventional breakout devices typically have a housing that is trapezoidal in shape with the ribbon cable entering the short side of the trapezoid housing and discrete fibers leaving the longer side. The device has a series of internal channels to guide and control the discrete fibers as the break out from the ribbon cable.
Although traditional breakout devices are effective in protecting fibers from excessive bending, Applicants recognize that such devices are typically customized for a particular application, and are specific to the size of the ribbon cable and the number of discrete fibers that are broken out from the ribbon cable. Such specificity may be limiting. For example, there may be applications in which just a few fibers need to be fanned out from the ribbon and the rest of the ribbon cable can otherwise be left intact. In such applications, the breakout device must be customized with a specific number of channels to accommodate the few fibers that need to be fanned out.
Applicants realize that such customized breakout devices are inconvenient and expensive to inventory and fabricate in small quantities. Therefore, Applicants have determined that breakout device is needed which is more flexible to accommodate different cables and breakout configurations, and which is more easily manufactured. The present invention fulfills this need among others.